"In his kindness, God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation." 1 Peter 5:10. 

I painted this picture at a Transform camp in 2016 (as part of our 2020 Vision!) God brought it to mind for this time. The sense was that as we stand on the beach, and watch a massive wave form before us, we have a choice - either to be consumed by that wave, or to look up, see it as an opportunity, and see Christ within that wave, to paddle to it like a surfer, then, taken up by Christ along the edge, yes a precarious place, but he's given us a surf board! 

When I was preparing for this morning [Bev painted this picture during worship on Sunday 19 January 2020] I had a picture of coals, just a big pile of black coals and they weren’t lit. Coal is remarkable because it has so much potential, but is really black and dirty and doesn’t do anything if you don’t light it.

Then this fire came from centre of those coals and started to light it. If we are coals, God has put so much potential in us! We have been created to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to be reflect the glory of Christ, as He sets that fire inside of us.

A poem by Bex Lawton (https://psalmist-bex.blogspot.com/2019/02/you-are-my-poem-ephesians-2-v…) 

You are my poem

Let me be clear, you are not a limerick, you are not a joke to me.
You are not a haiku or couplet, structured, short and done.

You are a well-thought out love sonnet, darling one.
Can you hear traditional patterns in writings of old, stories of Abraham, Moses and David?
That reckless love, abounding love, tireless and never-ending.